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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — for betting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fall — the season
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. row — a line
  16. chip — to eat
  17. last — to go on
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com